Hikari is 14 years old. She was searching for the person she loved: Shinji. Now she found him, confesses, and wants to know his feelings for her. Will he accept her confession and return her feelings? Rated T for Certain Reasons. IkariShipping

A/N: This is the Alternate Ending, where the ending is different to the Original one. Half of the plot is the same as the Original, but read the whole thing anyways. It changes a lot starting from when Hikari thinks Shinji hates her a LOT. Just watch, the ending is pretty cute and a bit humorous.

~.~.~

MonochroActIkariShipping One-Shot (Alternate Ending)

It was a very cloudy day, and 14-year-old Hikari was walking through a crowd of people.

Her friends, Satoshi and Takeshi, had left to their hometown. But she hasn't traveled to other regions yet, because there was someone else who was still staying in Shinou.

And that one person always left a blush to her pale cheeks. It was Shinji, the purple-haired boy who always got her angry.

But this time, Hikari had not done that. She has been searching for him in his hometown, but his older brother, Reiji, said he had left. Shinji hadn't left for another region, but just another trip around Shinou. For 2 years, she had searched for him throughout the home region, but it was fruitless. Hikari wondered if she wasn't meant to find him.

However, today had changed that fate. While she was walking through the crowd, sulking, she bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She got up, dusting her off.

"Oh, it's you…"

Hikari's eyes widened. "That voice…" She looked up to verify her guess. She was right! It was Shinji's voice! "Sh-Shinji…"

Her brow twitched. "Ugh… I did change, you idiot!" But that statement wasn't even half true. Her clumsiness hasn't disappeared yet; her clothes and hair accessories were longer but same style, but her blue hair was longer and curlier. "What are you doing here, Shinji?"

"It's none of your concern," he replied coldly. With that, he turned his back to her, walking back to where we came from.

Hikari watched him walk away, sadness filling her eyes. Shinji's attitude toward her hasn't changed either. Oh, how she wished that he would treat her better. But that would never happen.

There was no way he would return her feelings either. She had harbored romantic feelings for him, but hasn't expressed them yet. The way he treated now was enough to sadden her. But what happened to her friends had deepened her grief even more.

Satoshi already had someone to love; Haruka loved someone too, and she could always be with him every day; Takeshi, as usual, didn't find anyone yet, but he still loved Pokémon. Kengo, her childhood friend and rival, was with her friend/rival, Nozomi.

She felt happy for them, but inside, she was envious. It was like their happiness with their love left a wound in her heart. No matter how astounding or beautiful it was to her, her heart was sleeping with a fatal wound. Every morning, as she woke up, his image was always the first thought to appear. But her eyes were always filled with doubt when she thought of her love for him.

Hikari felt her feet pattering against the ground. She realized that she was sprinting across the crowd. Why was she running? "I don't need him to return his feelings for me!" she thought. She stopped in her tracks when a water drop slid down her nose. "Huh?"

It was starting to rain lightly and the crowd started to look for hotels to rest in.

But the rain didn't stop her from getting to Shinji. Hikari wanted an answer – the truth – instead of a dream to give her hope and possibilities. "Please, Shinji…!" She kept running, even if her clothes were starting to get soaked.

In her world, it was empty. There was no one there, but her. Even if she did love Shinji, her world was lonely. But why did she cry? Was it from loneliness or was it from emptiness? She slowed down, glancing up at the sky. It was so vast and far beyond solitude, just like how her feelings might not be returned.

Her heart beat painfully and she cringed. Hikari resumed her search for Shinji throughout the crowd.

It was only a few minutes until she found him. He was still walking calmly while the people around him were running for cover. "Sh-Shinji!"

Shinji was neutral for a moment, shifting his sweater to his lips with his two fingers. He raised a hand, which was holding a shrunken Poke Ball. "You're still pretty troublesome, huh? Well, I'm busy." With that, he smirked, enlarging his Poke Ball.

Hikari was taken aback, but then became disappointed and sad. She frowned, her eyelids lowering. She knew it. Shinji would never return her feelings. He was more interested in training and strength than the troublesome girl in front of him. It was such a meaningless answer. Hikari was always hoping to herself – telling herself – that Shinji would give a straightforward and direct reply. But now, they became lies. "Are you happy?"

He ignored her question, brushing past her. His expression was only covered with doubt when she saw his face. That only grieved her more.

"Tch, I knew it. You really hate me that much, huh?" Hikari felt like she was on the verge of tears and giving up, her hands clenching into fists. "I'm such an idiot…" She bit her lower lip, running away from Shinji. Her heart was shattered. Tears were flowing down her cheeks, and she tried to hold down a sob.

Her foot slipped on the watery stone, falling on the ground. "Kyah!" She couldn't get up; she couldn't move. Hikari just wanted to lie there, cold and wet, crying herself to death. But her friends or her mother wouldn't want that. She struggled to stand up, but her ankle was sprained from the fall.

"Ugh…" Shinji's voice came from above her. She saw his feet in front of her, and she looked up. "Troublesome Girl…" He extended a hand out to her, attempting to help her up.

"Is this real? Or is this an illusion…?" Hikari felt saddened by the last thought. She hesitated. She was afraid that if she took his hand, he'd leave her alone again. But she needed help, so she took his hand, giving her a boost to stand up. Tears were still flowing down, and her lips were trembling. "Why did you come back…?" she murmured.

Shinji's eyes looked the other way. "I can't just leave you here, you know." He sighed, bending down. "Get on."

"Huh?" Hikari was stunned for a moment.

"You can't walk, right?"

Hikari understood and got on top of Shinji's back. Her hands grabbed his shoulder as he stood up, holding her legs. "My heart hurts…" she murmured.

"What?"

She ignored his question because she was reminiscing about the past 4 years. When had she fallen in love with him? When did she want him to love her back? She couldn't remember which she has chosen. In those past years, she has gotten hurt as Shinji had hurt her when they argued. Sadly to admit, she thought it was better that way. That's what kept them heated for motivation.

Shinji walked in the rain, still holding Hikari. "Do you think you can hold on a bit longer?"

"Yeah, that's fine with me." She still felt lonely inside. His answer – acceptation or rejection –didn't matter; it would at least heal the emptiness in her world. The night felt endless, but part of her was pumped again. "I'll still be waiting for your answer, Shinji. I'm not counting "I'm busy" as an answer…" Hikari felt a small smile grace her features, somehow feeling warm. Her head slightly leaned on his. "I'm glad you're with me right now." Her smile became bigger. "Thank you, Shinji."

On Shinji's side, her last few words were slightly bothersome. "My head hurts…" he thought. Shinji was thinking about her confession earlier. Inside, he was taken aback. In the past, they used to argue so much. When did Hikari fall in love with him? "Hey, we're going to rest here, okay?" He stopped by the closest Pokémon Center.

Hikari didn't answer.

"Hey." Shinji slightly shifted his head, only managing to get a glimpse of her. Her eyes looked dazed and her face was slightly red. "Oi!"

"O-oh, sorry, Shinji… I don't feel so good…"

Shinji turned his head a little bit more, leaning his forehead on hers. "You're burning!" He rushed into the building. "Nurse Joi, I need a room quickly!"

"What happened, Shinji-kun?"

"She has a sprained ankle and a high fever!"

"Oh my goodness…!" Nurse Joy hurried to the shelf of keys. She grabbed the nearest one and gave it to Shinji. "Here, this room is on the second floor. I'm sorry, but the first floor-!"

Without letting her finish, Shinji rushed upstairs, finding the room number written on the key. He opened the door, and laid Hikari on the bed. He gasped for air, for he couldn't breathe from the running and panicking. His hair and body was dripping wet and sticking to his body. Hikari was the same, too.

Nurse Joi knocked before entering their room, carrying two sets of new clothes and towels. A Rakki also came in with a bowl of warm water resting on top of a few bed sheets. "Excuse us, but we brought some dry clothes for you and your friend."

Shinji nodded, still gasping for air. "Nurse… Joi… can you… dress… Hikari?" He blushed at the thought of him dressing her in new clothes.

"What about you, dear?"

"I'll… be in… the restroom… showering…" Shinji took the pair of clothes Joi handed to him. "Thank you."

"It's no problem, sweetie." With that, she and Rakki started drying Hikari. Shinji closed the door behind him, turning on the water. He took his wet clothes off and stepped under the shower head. It was so warm that he felt like the cold feeling was being washed away. There was a knock on the door. "Um… Shinji-kun? Is it okay if I come in?"

Shinji's eyes widened. "HUH?"

"I need to warm Hikari's body in the bathtub or she might catch a cold… or something worse."

His face turned red, but he didn't want Hikari to catch something worse than a cold. "O-okay… Hold on, Nurse Joi." He wore a white bath robe, turning off the shower. "Okay, you can come in…" Shinji turned his back to Nurse Joi, not wanting to see whatever would've been in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Shinji-kun, but I promise this will only take a few minutes."

"U-uh… Okay…" Shinji was much too embarrassed to even care. To kill some time without thinking about his current situation, he thought about his previous reply to Hikari's confession. "You're still pretty troublesome, aren't you? Well, I'm busy," he said. But it wasn't true at all. He was only traveling around Shinou again, because he already competed in the Kantou and Jouto regions. Satoshi, his rival, had already competed there before coming to Shinou. Houen was an exception, but he chose not to. Also, Hikari didn't become that troublesome.

The sound of rushing water interrupted his thoughts. "Her body seems to be warm enough…" Nurse Joi murmured. "Okay, Shinji-kun, we'll be taking her back. Oh, and I'm also going to take your other clothes so I can dry them. Rakki already took care of Hikari's."

"Hai." As soon as he heard the door click, he went back to showering. He sighed, asking himself, "How did I get into this mess…?" Of course, it all started with Hikari's confession.

"Shinji-kun, Hikari-chan is in bed and we replaced the wet bed sheets, okay? We'll be leaving now."

"Thank you, Nurse Joi." Shinji heard her leave their room with Rakki following her. After a few minutes of washing his hair, he left the restroom, dressed in new, dry clothes. He stepped in the room, where Hikari was asleep. There was a small, wet towel on her forehead. There was a note on the table. He picked it up reading: Please dip the towel in the water every 15 minutes, until her fever goes down. If the water becomes cold, you can replace it from the tap. Shinji's brow twitched.

Great… Now he had to take care of her? It couldn't be helped. He felt like half of it was his fault. But it couldn't get any worse than this…!

But, he spoke too soon. Lightning flashed and thunder sounded in the room. He growled, smacking himself. It wasn't like he hated thunder, but he was irritated about the possibility of Hikari screaming awake. "Perfect… Just perfect…" Shinji hung his towel around his neck, sitting on the bed. He watched the rain tap against the window, the lightning flashing, and the thunder echoing in their room.

"Sh-Shinji…?"

The boy jerked his head to Hikari, who woke up. "Hey, you shouldn't be talking."

Shinji crossed his arms, sighing. "Not completely. Go back to sleep, or you won't get any better."

"Thanks, Shinji." With that, her eyes fluttered back to sleep again.

He blushed when he stared at her sleeping face. "Idiot…" Every 15 minutes he replaced her towel with a new coat of warm water. "This is probably my fault too…" he murmured.

~.~.~

About an hour passed, and Shinji placed his hand on Hikari's forehead. It finally went down quickly and effectively. "That should do it." He went under the covers, relieved that Hikari was better and that he can finally sleep. However, when the thunder crashed again, he was jerked awake by Hikari. "Ugh, what now?"

"Shinji… I'm scared…" Hikari was now fully awake, looking lively as ever, but scared to death. She was gripping his sleeve. When she realized what she was doing, she hesitantly took her hand back. "S-sorry…" The thunder crashed again, and she squeaked a small scream, covering her ears.

Shinji placed his hand on her shoulder. "Damn, calm down, sheesh." He wasn't fond of what the possibilities of what he was thinking, but knew it would've been the only way to get her to sleep peacefully. "Can I do anything to make you sleep quietly without me worrying about you?"

Hikari replied with the most embarrassing response he's ever seen. She slid over to Shinji until their arms were touching. Of course, she was careful not to hurt her sprained ankle. "Can I sleep next to you?"

"Wha-?" Shinji was blushing. "F-fine. B-but I'm not facing you…"

"Sure."

Shinji went back to sleep, his back facing Hikari. She snuggled in the blankets and his back. He felt her uneven breathing against his skin. That signaled him that she was still awake. "Do you really want my answer that bad?"

"Uh-huh…" She nodded, her soft hair brushing against his back.

Shinji was silent for a moment, hesitating. "Tomorrow. Just go to sleep." With that, they both fell asleep, managing to ignore the thunder and lightning. All they listened to was the soft pattering of the rain against the window and their even breathing.

~.~.~

Hikari's eyes fluttered open. The warmth that was enveloping her felt comforting. She tried to get up, but something prevented her from doing so. It wasn't her sprained ankle. She then found Shinji's arm embracing her body. "Sh-Shinji…?" She looked at Shinji, who was still asleep. Hikari was held tightly to his chest. She squeaked a yelp, blushing.

"Do you know how much you were whimpering at night?" Shinji sighed, lifting his eyelids. "You wouldn't budge when I tried to wake you up either."

"Tch, you stopped whimpering when I did that." Shinji rolled his eyes, sitting up. "Troublesome Girl…"

Hikari blushed, pouting. "Well, excuse me! I tend to have nightmares on weathers like last night!"

Shinji smirked. "Yeah, I could tell by the way you kept sticking to me while sleeping." This made Hikari blush even more. He decided to resume the topic from yesterday. "About my answer…" Hikari perked up, blowing the covers off her. Her attention was completely focused on Shinji. "Remember when I said that I was busy?"

"… And that I was still 'pretty troublesome'?" Hikari added. She sighed sadly, turning around as her back faced Shinji. "Then, yes, I remember." Suddenly, she was embraced from behind. "Sh-Sh-Shinji?" Her hands shot up to her neck for she felt Shinji's arms quivering.

"I was more concerned of what would happen if I accepted your confession." Shinji sighed. "I was afraid that I'd hurt you if I said that I accept." He shut his eyes, not even daring to think of the possibilities. "Knowing me, you'd probably think that I'm just playing with your heart."

Hikari was surprised. He was right about that. "Are you playing with me right now?" She suppressed a sob. "There's no way you'd be doing this, so get off me."

Shinji disobeyed, tightening his embrace. "Hikari, I'm not playing. If I was, would I have said your name seriously without calling you 'troublesome' just now?" He smirked, knowing that would get to her… And it did. She gave in, shaking her head. "So that's my answer. Are you happy now?" She nodded.

"Now that that's settled, what are you planning to do?"

"Hn, I don't know." Shinji released his embrace on her, but still stayed behind. "The question is: What do you want me to do with you?"

"Huh?"

Shinji smirked. "You are so dense…" Hikari crossed her arms, pouting. "Do you want me to be with you from now on?" She was silent, and he could tell she was blushing. "But now that you know my feelings, you're probably satisfied enough to travel alone right?" He waited for her answer, but smirked when she didn't say anything. "You really want me to be with you, don't you?"

"Tch, what's the point of asking me when you already know?" Her face was red now.

Shinji was still smirking, but a hint of evil flared. "It's not fun that way. The image of you blushing makes it interesting."

"Oh, stop, Shinji! Sheesh!" Hikari playfully nudged him on the shoulder, her face bright and lively again. But she must've nudged him a little too hard, because he fell off the bed.

"OW!"

"Oh my god, sorry!" Hikari looked over the bed, seeing Shinji rubbing his head. "Ooh… I think there was some anger left…"

Shinji stood back up, still rubbing his head. "Troublesome Girl…"

Hikari has had it with that nickname. "Okay, stop calling me that! I have a name, you know!"

Hikari stared in horror, believing Shinji got amnesia. But she resorted back to irritation when Shinji smirked. "Ugh, you think you're funny, don't you?" They argued on and on, but it was enjoyable. It reminded them of the past when they used to fight even more.

The clouds soon cleared up, the sun shining through the window. A small rainbow glowed across the sky, reassuring many that the storm was over.

~.~.~

A/N: Yes, this is the alternate ending. And it was much longer, yes. If it bothered you, I'm sorry. The alternate ending just came to me, and I couldn't ignore it. xD

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.